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Volume 2 Issue 10November 1998

TIPS on Videoconferencing:

- Meeting Room layout
- Multimedia Classroom layout

Butte College has nearly completed installation of the District's first videoconference classroom for distance learning. Located in the Butte College Library, it features a normal classroom for approximately 40 students, combined with a full feature broadcast studio.

Two remote controlled Parker Vision video cameras are located on the rear wall behind the student seating. These are used to silently follow the speaker as they move about the students, and are unobtrusive to the normal classroom experience.

Audio from the classroom is picked up by eight ceiling-mounted AKG C562CM button microphones, controlled by a Shure SCM810 automatic microphone mixer.

A specially equipped instructor’s station has been set up at the front of the room. The station includes a desk with an Elmo document camera, telephone, fully networked computer (with wireless infrared keyboard), and desktop volume controls for local room audio from a wall mounted VCR and computer sound card. Sound comes through four ceiling-mounted speakers. All audio and video that can be displayed or heard in the classroom can also be simultaneously sent out via television or videoconference.

There is a ceiling-mounted InFocus RGB video projector that can display the Elmo, VCR, or the local computer screen in 800x600 mode. There are also four additional 27" wall-mounted monitors around the room for local class video display.

One important design aspect of this studio is the ability to control much of the room’s equipment from a remote room. A student technician is deployed in the television master control room to operate the cameras and to watch audio and video levels for recording or live broadcast. If the room is not used for recording but simply as a lecture facility, technician intervention is not required. The instructor or speaker can use the room as a stand-alone audio-visual multimedia resource, with complete access to the Elmo, overhead RGB projector, computer, or VCR.

For videoconference applications, there is a PictureTel Venue2000 system in the front corner of the room. The PictureTel operates at 384K with 30 frames per second, and can accept all video sources within the classroom.

Another location for video-conferencing at Butte College is in the Administration Annex conference room (see Figure 2). This smaller room is for more traditional meeting needs. Built into cabinets at one end of the room is a PictureTel Venue2000, operating at 384K via ISDN. The local camera is remote controlled with the wireless keypad, and audio pickup is achieved with the PictureTel desktop microphone. There is also a VCR located within the cabinet.